Modern vehicles comprise a plurality of components which do not form part of the structural part of the vehicle itself. In particular, vehicles may have trim components fitted, either to improve the aesthetic characteristics of the vehicle, to reduce noise and/or drag, or to improve certain other characteristics of the vehicle and its handling.
As they are commonly attached to the outside of a vehicle, trim components are subject to a number of forces and conditions when the vehicle is in operation, such as turning manoeuvres, high vehicle travelling speeds, or high rotational speeds (if for example said trim component is fitted to a wheel of the vehicle), and are therefore prone to detach from the vehicle. This reduces the aesthetic appeal of a vehicle, and may even adversely affect performance of the vehicle.
Dislodgment and detachment of trim components may occur as a result of the components being fitted incorrectly, or may be due to the component fittings not being suitable for retaining the component to the vehicle.
Existing vehicle trim components commonly rely on resilient catches to keep the component attached to the vehicle, in particular its wheels. However, when external forces are applied to the trim components, such catches have a tendency to come undone. A common solution is to increase the force necessary to remove a trim component from the vehicle. This however greatly increases the difficulty in removing the component for maintenance, for example to change a wheel.
The present invention seeks to address the above problems.